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Topic: The case against epi-pen (Read 6080 times)

Stings don't bother me much. Some swelling sometimes; no big deal. No one in my family is very sensitive.

Still, when he heard that I was keeping bees, my doctor suggested getting an epi-pen just in case. ("Just in case" could mean a guest is stung and turns out to be allergic.) I took his advice, got one, and it sat unused in the cupboard for a few years, until I noticed that it was long past its expiration date.

So I got a new prescription. But then I noticed the price. Ouch! I'm not poor, but I'm not rich enough to pay $100+ for something that just sits on the shelf for a year and then needs replacement.

Also: - No guest has ever been stung in my yard, and not many people are really allergic - Even if a guest DOES need it, and you do use it, you could face a lawsuit anyway. - You can't use an adult-sized epi-pen on a child, and I figure visiting kids are more likely to be stung.And perhaps most important: - Where we live is 5 minutes from a hospital. Rather than fumbling with a device I don't know how to use, I'd be better off rushing a victim to the ER.

Hmmm...its really a question of whether you like playing the odds or if you're risk adverse.I would think that someone who is very allergic to bee stings -- to the point of it being a medical emergency -- would carry a sting kit with them and not rely on you having or not having an epi-pen available, since a sting can occur anywhere, not just in your yard. Bees fly up to mile away from the hive, I've read.Also, most people who hear I keep bees in the backyard and have a problem with that due to allergies or irrational fear, either don't come over or stay in the house when they do. Lastly, according to the websites linked below, 40-50 people a year die from bee stings (nationwide) and children are less likely to have a severe reaction since presumably they've had less chance to be sensitize to the venom. So, unless you're hosting thousands of people a year in your backyard, in my mind the odds are slim that someone will have a severe allergic reaction to a sting.Personally, I don't have a epi-pen.http://www.nasdonline.org/document/962/d000800/first-aid-for-bee-and-insect-stings.htmlkhttp://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site2909/mainpageS2909P1.html

I have one. Perscribed to me by my veterinarian. If a person is stung by my bees and goes into anaphylactic shock, I would feel responsible for their suffering. If I am by myself and get stung and go into A-shock, I am not sure I could call 911 or drive myself to an emergency room while my airway is closing down. The $ cost seems a small price to pay to protect against even a small risk of A-shock.

A long time ago a friend and I were working his bees. He got stung in the neck. He had been stung many times before, but this time he went into A-shock. He went to the emergency room and everything was fine after they treated him. But after watching that incident, I realize anaphylaxis can happen to anyone at any time and it is scary.

Seems pointless to me to have bees and forego having an Epipen. What's the benefit of taking such a risk? Especially when it may involve other people and my bees.

i have a standing prescription. i got it because of the kind of reactions i have and not knowing which way they might go. i renew them about a year after the expiration date and keep the old ones for chemical warfare involving neuro toxins :evil:

getting them is a call you have to make for yourself. that close to medical help, you wish to take the chance. i'd check your ambulance response time and consider that while you may have time to stab yourself, you may not have time or facilities to make a phone call.

and...shop your prescriptions. if it's not covered by insurance then where you get it is up to you. walmart? :-D

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Stings don't bother me much. Some swelling sometimes; no big deal. No one in my family is very sensitive.

Still, when he heard that I was keeping bees, my doctor suggested getting an epi-pen just in case. ("Just in case" could mean a guest is stung and turns out to be allergic.) I took his advice, got one, and it sat unused in the cupboard for a few years, until I noticed that it was long past its expiration date.

So I got a new prescription. But then I noticed the price. Ouch! I'm not poor, but I'm not rich enough to pay $100+ for something that just sits on the shelf for a year and then needs replacement.

Also: - No guest has ever been stung in my yard, and not many people are really allergic - Even if a guest DOES need it, and you do use it, you could face a lawsuit anyway. - You can't use an adult-sized epi-pen on a child, and I figure visiting kids are more likely to be stung.And perhaps most important:- Where we live is 5 minutes from a hospital. Rather than fumbling with a device I don't know how to use, I'd be better off rushing a victim to the ER.

Does this reasoning make sense to others?

Practice using the pen, using something like a pen or an object similar in size and shape, also 5 minutes is a long time for someone suffering an allergic reaction. If you are concerned with Liabilities and Lawsuits, do not allow non-beekeepers near your Hives or have them suit up completely.

If you don't get the pen, make sure you have Benadryl gel caplets available. They give you an extra 20 minutes to get medical attention. I had an attack from antacid tablets. I knew I was in trouble due to being a beekeeper and took 2 Benadryl caplets then I woke up my wife. After checking me over she called 911. When the medical team arrived and checked me over, they said that my wife could drive me to the hospital because of having taken the Benadryl. If you have a reaction and take the Benadryl, still go to the hospital and at minimum be in the building in case it gets worse. They did treat me and gave me some shots to keep it under control.I now have the pen and the Benadryl.Jim

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sawdust, even better than the gel caps is the childrens liquid. i get it at the dollar store and have bottles in the truck, barn, house...

because it's a low dose per tsp, i don't worry about chugging it.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

I need one as well and this thread reminds me of the fact and I am glad I ran into it being I have a doc appointment this coming Monday. I have just lost a loved one very close to me. A life is worth a lot more than a cheap $100 dollar insurance policy. Its an easy choice for me, hopefully my insurance will pay for it but either way I'll get at least one.

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The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Back in the day, 30 years ago, my mother got stung several times, each a month or so apart by bees. And by the last time, we had to take her to the hospital because the reactions to the stings had gotten to bad. She got an epi-pen and for years and never used it. She has not been stung since then. She stays inside now. Bad reactions are scary. But if a visitor gets stung, I would not want to be liable for having the pen around. I am not a doctor. I have sting ease wipes to make it less itchy if anyone ever got stung. That is as strong as I want to carry. And more people die from fire ants than bees.

You're reasoning makes perfect sense to me. I'm probably more like 20 minutes from an emergency room and I see no need to keep an epi-pen. When I read your post, I honestly expected most to agree with you and I'm surprised that so many are so adamant about having one.

I'd be more worried that someone would get stung and I'd use the pen and find out that they were allergic to the preservative in the pen or something. Me, I'll take my chances. I hear a lot of people say they are allergic, or know someone who is, but I've never heard a credible story of someone who died from a bee sting (besides AHB).

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Give a man a fish and he will have dinner. Teach a man to fish and he will be late for dinner.

sawdust, even better than the gel caps is the childrens liquid. i get it at the dollar store and have bottles in the truck, barn, house...

because it's a low dose per tsp, i don't worry about chugging it.

Great advice that I meant to write you a thankyou about. Saw you post this last year and I put a bottle of Children's Benidryl liquid in my truck.

4 weeks ago got into a huge removal with tearable bees in a tough place to get them out. Have no clue how many stings I took, probably over 50. Your liquid Benidryl advice saved me a ton of discomfort and let me finish the job. Thanks Kathy

Haven't ever had to use it, but I keep an Epipen also in our first aid kit, worth it to me for the peace of mind.

.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

Hmmm...its really a question of whether you like playing the odds or if you're risk adverse.I would think that someone who is very allergic to bee stings -- to the point of it being a medical emergency -- would carry a sting kit with them and not rely on you having or not having an epi-pen available, since a sting can occur anywhere, not just in your yard. Bees fly up to mile away from the hive, I've read.Also, most people who hear I keep bees in the backyard and have a problem with that due to allergies or irrational fear, either don't come over or stay in the house when they do. Lastly, according to the websites linked below, 40-50 people a year die from bee stings (nationwide) and children are less likely to have a severe reaction since presumably they've had less chance to be sensitize to the venom. So, unless you're hosting thousands of people a year in your backyard, in my mind the odds are slim that someone will have a severe allergic reaction to a sting.Personally, I don't have a epi-pen.http://www.nasdonline.org/document/962/d000800/first-aid-for-bee-and-insect-stings.htmlkhttp://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site2909/mainpageS2909P1.html

Brooklyn,

It's not the person with a known allergy that is troubling. You're right, that person will most likely carry a kit (especially if they are headed to a beekeeper's house).

The real trouble is someone ( like my wife) who has never been stung and doesn't know if she's allergic or not. Odds are, she's not. But do you want to be responsible for the visitor to your house who gets stung, and finds out in the worst possible way that they are allergic, and you're unprepared?

"But if a visitor gets stung, I would not want to be liable for having the pen around. I am not a doctor. I have sting ease wipes to make it less itchy if anyone ever got stung."

What? Is this supposed to be like having a sign that says beware of the dog and supposedly make you liable? Give me a break, if you are more worried about being sued than saving a life then dont have visitors over please or have them sign a waver for heavens sake.

I have incorporated to try to cover liability in case some terrible unfortunate circumstance were to happen to me but I would think you would be found more negligent not even having a simple epi-pen when you are certainly aware since you are a beekeeper that some people are allergic to a bee sting which you have likely had hundreds or more of over the years. If I were sitting on a jury I would defiantly have consider whether an experienced commercial beekeeper was negligent for someones death because they did not have an simple epi-pen handy. Of course circumstances always matter but this is serious stuff. You need to breath and if you cant breath your are dead meat real quick and a hospital ten minutes away may not do any good if you cant breath for ten minutes.

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The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory